February 2013's Topbox

Hey guys!

Today I'm sharing with you the contents for this month's Topbox. A few weeks ago, Topbox has given it's subscribers a chance to choose whether they want to receive a Prive Box (from Benefit Cosmetics, Lippy Girl, or Miracle 10) or a regular box. Since I am in love with Benefit, it was a no-brainer and I had chosen their Prive Box. Let's take a look at the items I received!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P. Review and Swatches

And my love for Benefit Cosmetics continues.....

Today I have for you a review of the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P. that I recently bought that quickly became a part of my go-to make routine. Let's take a look....

MAC, Sephora and The Body Shop Haul

2013 is not off to a good start for my wallet as you can see from the title of this post. lol. While I'm not on a "no buy" ban, I've still been telling myself to not buy as much makeup unless I really need it. But of course, I couldn't resist and purchased these items over the holidays. Even though I've been bad, I'm so excited to share with you gals my new acquisitions!

My Top 12 Beauty Products of 2012

Hey guys!

How was your holidays? 

For today's post I would like to share with you the beauty products that I have discovered and loved for the past year. 2012 was the year that I really got into makeup and tried quite a few products so here are the ones that immediately popped into my head when I thought of my top products.

Favourite Look of the Week: Smokey Purple

I was browsing through the videos in youtube and came across a tutorial for smokey purple that I wanted to recreate and wore for my mom's birthday dinner. Getting the deep purple shadow to be a little vibrant was a challenge as I had to put a lot of layers with the shadows I already have. I mixed the pinky-purple and plummy-purple shadows from the Tokidoki Palette to get the shade I wanted. I hope you liked this look! 

Products I used are the following;

E.L.F. Eyelid Primer (not pictured)

Pinky-purple + plummy-purple mixed from Tokidoki palette - all over lid

Deep eggplant shade from Covergirl Sugar Coated quad - crease

"Blackout" from Urban Decay Naked 2 - outer third of the lid

Essence Gel Liner in "Midnight in Paris" - upper and lower lash line

Benefit "Bad Gal Lash" Mascara

What is your favourite look this week?

Benefit 'Bad Gal' Lash Mascara Review

Hey guys!

I think I have said in this blog time and time again how much I love Benefit Cosmetics as I don't think I have come across a product of theirs that I have not liked. Added to my list of product raves from Benefit is their Bad Gal Lash mini that I purchased in a set.

Company Description: Sexy, sultry, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. It's as BAD as you want to be! Famously big, bodacious brush coats lashes with our super black formula.

My Thoughts: I have not tried a lot of mascaras yet so by no means am I a mascara expert and I have not found a mascara that I can put in my Holy Grail Status yet but I'm really liking this product. What makes me really like this mascara is that it holds the lift and curl of my lashes very well and for long hours. With the previous mascaras I tried, about 3 hours after I can notice that my lashes droops down but that didn't happen with Bad Gal Lash. With its claims of providing volume, I had to take some points off as I didn't see much volume but that didn't turn me off into using the product. The first time I used this mascara I was preparing myself to be disappointed due to my previous experience with this mascara because they have similar looking wands but I was pleasantly surprised. The bristles of this mascara can be intimidatingly huge if you look at it but with careful application and practice, I have grown to like the wand. Another aspect that I like about this mascara is that it does not clump, I can layer coats of this mascara but it doesn't look heavy and does not weigh my curls down. Also, there is a photo below that I have added where it was taken after 8 hours of wear and you can see that I did not experience any flaking. 

Here are some pictures of Bad Gal Lash Mascara

 Bare, curled lashes

My lashes after applying the mascara

My lashes after 8 hours of wear

Overall: I really like this mascara because it's the first mascara that held my curls for long hours without flaking nor clumping and I would just need to find a mascara that I can pair this with to add more volume to my lashes.

Price: $26.00 CAD for full size
Place to buy: Sephora, Benefit Cosmetics

Benefit Holiday Sets for 2012

I have written before how much I love Benefit Cosmetics because they always come out with the cutest and most adorable sets. For this year's holidays the brand has come out with great sets that you can give to your friends, family, and even yourself! lol.

Here are some of Benefit's Gifts Sets

Upgrade to Gorgeous! ($40.00)

- 0.05 Laugh With Me LeeLee

- 0.25 oz POREfessional

- 0.45 oz High Beam

- 0.1 oz They're Real

- 0.42 oz Sugarbomb

High Flyin' Glosses ($28.00 CAD)

- The set contains six 0.22 oz Lip gloss in Coralista, Dallas, Bellabamba, Hoola, Sugarbomb, Dandelion

Sexy Little Stowaways ($40.00 CAD)

- 0.1 oz Bella Bamba

- 0.25 oz That Gal Brightening Face Primer

- 0.08 oz Sun Beam

- 0.08 oz Cha Cha Tint

- 0.08 oz Ooh La Lift

- 0.08 oz Stay Don't Stray

- 1 oz It's Potent! Eye Cream

- 0.14 oz BADgal Lash Mascara

- 0.25 oz The POREfessional

- 0.1 oz Hoola

Let There B. Right! ($45.00 CAD)

- full size It's Potent! Eye Cream

- full size Triple Performing Facial Emulsion

- mini Total Moisture Facial Cream

- mini The POREfessional

Place to buy: Sephora

Are you going to pick up one of these sets?

Products I've Been Loving Lately Vol. 1

Hey guys!

I'm really liking the change of seasons from summer to fall, as much as I like the warm weather, I much prefer cooler weather and fall fashion with boots and scarves. Anyways, today I would like to share with you some products that I have been enjoying recently.

Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat - Since I've been painting my nails a lot lately, I've realized that I need to make more effort in caring for them. I'm really liking this base coat in protecting my nails from yellowing and creating a smooth surface for the polish that I'm going to apply.

Revlon Extra Life No Chip Top Coat - I pair this with the Revlon Base Coat and this helps in making my nail polish at least 5 days without chipping.

OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons - I have been looking for a perfect nude shade for ages and I feel like I found it in this polish! I like that this has no hints of pink and looks classy and sophisticated. This shade is part of OPI's Germany Collection. For a review and swatch click here.

Benefit The POREfessional - I got this deluxe size from a Benefit set I purchased last month. Since I have oily skin, this helps in making my foundation last my long work hours. I was a little skeptical to use this product on my acne prone skin because it is silicon based but it did not clog my pores at all. Even though I don't see it minimizing the appearance of my pores, it helps my makeup stay longer and made my face smoother. For a review of this product click here.

Benefit Coralista Blush - I have been wanting to buy this blush for a long time but I just can't seem to fork over the $36.00 price tag. So when Benefit released this in a set, I purchased it right away. This is a gorgeous peachy coral blush that looks natural on the skin. For a swatch click here.

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie - I've kind of neglected my lip butters and have used my brighter lipsticks during the summer but re-discovered my lip butters last month. I have worn the shade Raspberry a lot lately as a transitioning shade from summer to fall. For a review and swatch click here.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - I'm in a "honeymoon period" with this palette, so to speak. I just can't get enough at how gorgeous this palette is. Sometimes I take this palette out just to look at the shadows, which makes me feel like such a nerd! This palette contains 12 neutral shadows where you can create countless looks. For a review and swatches click here.

Cool Way "Salyards 55" Flats - This has been a summer wardrobe staple that I've kind of transitioned into early fall. I like that I can pair this shoes with almost anything in my closet whether it be a dress, jeggings and even dress pants. In Canada, I found the Cool Way brand from Little Burgundy.

What have you been loving lately? Do share!

Benefit 'How To Look The Best at Everything' Kit Review and Swatches

Hey guys!

Today I'm going to share with you the other kit that Benefit recently launched from my recent Sephora Haul. If you would like to read about the Go Tropi-Coral kit, click here.

The 'How To Look The Best at Everything' comes in a very cute cardboard box that looks like a small book and once opened will reveal a "tips and tricks" visual and a decent sized mirror. The contains 4 product essentials that will help you achieve a flawless canvas in applying your makeup.

I have the medium kit which includes;
- 0.25 oz The POREfessional
- 0.23 oz Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in "Cute as a Bunny"
 - 0.05 oz Boi-ing Concealer in shades 03 and 04
- 0.14 oz Hello Flawless Powder in "I'm so Money"
- a powder brush

The POREfessional - is Benefit's face primer that promises to minimize the appearance of pores and smoothes face for easy foundation application. To be honest, I don't think this primer minimized the appearance of my pores but I like this product for its smoothing effect. The POREfessional really smoothed out imperfections of my face and I think it helped my foundation stay on longer and not fade out through the day.

Hello Flawless Foundation - is I think Benefit's first liquid foundation and I might say the brand did it right for their first time. This is an oil-free, brightening, lightweight foundation with I would say light to medium coverage. I call this foundation my "weekend" foundation since I like medium to full coverage foundations more. I use this on days that I will just go to the mall for a few hours and just need something to even out my skin.

Boi-ing - I'm so glad that Benefit included 2 shades in this kit so I can mix and match them to the shade right for my skin. I use this mainly on some hyper pigmentation on my face.

Hello Flawless Powder - I've read in some posts online that this is a powder foundation but I use this more as a finishing powder for the liquid foundation also included in this kit. 

Here is the powder brush

Overall: This is a great way to try out some of Benefit's products with an affordable price. Check it out!

Price: $36.00 CAD

Place to buy: This is a Sephora exlusive

Benefit Go Tropi - Coral Lip and Cheek Kit

Hey guys!

Today I'm going to share with you one of the latest kits that Benefit launched recently and that is the "Go Tropi Coral Lip and Cheek Kit." I think Benefit always come up with amazing sets that have the cutest packaging! I love how their sets have at least 3 different products where you can try if you would like them in order to decide if you want to buy the full size. 

Company Description: "Turn up the heat, day or night, with our sexy tropicorals." This pocket-sized kit features warm and vibrant shades for a sultry, tropical look. It includes an iconic tint, award-winning cheek color, luscious lip gloss, and sexy highlighter–all in a mirrored box–so you can add a pop of color to your look morning, noon, or night.

This kit includes:

- 0.13 oz Chachatint

                                                                               - 0.1 oz Coralista

- 0.13 oz High Beam

- 0.22 oz Ultra Plush Coralista

- Mini powder brush

Cha Cha Tint is a mango - tinted lip and cheek stain. The colour is kinda scary when you just look at it from the bottle but when you blend it out in your cheeks it a lovely peachy coral shade. When I use this, I put 3 small dots on my cheeks and blend it with a finger. 

High Beam  is a luminescent liquid highlighter that has a pink sheen. I like using this highlight not just on my cheeks, but on my brow bones as well. Just like the Cha Cha Tint, I apply this by putting 3 small dots and blend it out.

Coralista Blush - basing from its name is a gorgeous coral with some slight shimmer. I have been wanting this blush for quite a while but I was really hesitant to pay $36.00 CAD for the full size! So I was really glad when Benefit came out with this kit so I can try this blush out for myself. Too bad this product can't be pulled out of the packaging like the rest of the products.

Coralista Ultra Plush Lipgloss is a coral sheen gloss which is not sticky at all. This is a fairly new product that Benefit came up with to complement their famous boxed powders. I also think this will be a good combo for my MAC Vegas Volt lipstick

This set also includes a blush brush.

Overall: This kit is a great buy to try out some of Benefit's products with decent sized deluxe samples

Price: $32.00 CAD

Place to buy: this is a Sephora exclusive

Sephora and Essie Haul

Hello lovely people!

I've had a stressful week at work so I decided to go to the mall yesterday and indulge in some retail therapy by visiting Sephora, Walmart and Winners.

Here are the items that I picked up!

From Sephora

Too Faced Prime and Poreless Pure Oil-Free Skin Smoothing Face Primer for Sensitive Skin. 

Price: $38.00 CAD

Whew! That was a long product name! Hehe. I haven't read much reviews about this product from beauty blogs as its fairly new still but I'm really excited to try this out for my oily skin. 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Price: $24.00 CAD

I have been perfectly happy with my E.L.F. Eyelid Primer for the past few months but when I started wearing makeup for longer hours because of work I noticed that after about 8 hours my eyeshadow creased. I decided to try this out and see if this product is worth the hype.

Benefit 'How To Look The Best At Everything' Set

Price: $36.00 CAD

I have been lemming for Benefit products ever since I got into makeup but their prices are not really budget friendly. So when I saw this set on Sephora's website I decided that I had to have it! This set includes; the POREfessional, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation, Boi-ing Concealer in shades 03 and 04, and Hello Flawless Powder.

Benefit 'Go Tropicoral' Set

Price: $32.00 CAD

This is another makeup set from Benefit that I was really excited about. It includes; mini Chacha tint, mini High Beam, Coralista Powder Blush sample size, and Coralista lip gloss sample size.

From Walmart

Essie Nail Polish in Penny Talk

Price: $8.96 CAD

This shade is included in their Mirror Metallics Collection that recently came out. Its described as "an authentic copper metallic" 

Essie Nail Polish in Ballet Slippers

Price: $8.96 CAD

I think this shade is in their permanent range which is described as "classic pale pink with a sheer finish"

Essie Nail Polish in Eternal Optimist

Price: $8.96 CAD

This may be in the permanent range as well and it described as "a spiced tea rose with a dash of cream"

From Winners

Essie Summer Collection Mini Set

Price: $12.99 CAD

This mini set includes shades in Bikini So Teeny, Mojito Madness, Off the Shoulder, and Fear or Desire

Have you done some shopping lately too? Do share!

Victoria